Dangerous Photography
by Gabz Jones
Summary: Noctis really just wants to sleep, but Prompto needs a hand with a photography project. A very big, very dangerous photography project. How did they always get themselves in these situations?


**Author Notes:** Been playing a lot of FFXV lately and I caved in and let this plot bunny attack me. Will I be getting back to my WIP? Yes. I promise. I just want to get a few chapters of it written so that I can post them more regularly, but I assure you it's gonna happen. In the meantime, PROMPTIS!

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Traveling around Lucis was far more tiring than Noctis had expected it to be. It might've had something to do with them driving back and forth around the lands, trying to help the people they came across with problems. Whether they were big or small, the four of them had been finding themselves working to fix it. All the while, they were searching for the Royal Tombs, the thought of what was expected of him weighing heavily on Noctis' mind. With his father gone, he would be king. Everything rested on his shoulders. When he thought about it like that, he was grateful for the detours, the little jobs they were doing to help the citizens. They made him feel normal, they helped to distract him from the burden he was destined to bear.

It was a small mercy that Gladio had relented and allowed them to stay in a motel that night rather than camping out under the stars. Again. It wasn't that Noctis didn't like to camp, he just wasn't sure it was healthy to enjoy it quite as often as Gladio did. Having a soft bed to sleep in was a welcome change. Noctis laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling when he heard the gentle knock at his door, glancing over at the sound that had broken him from his thoughts, "Yeah?"

"Hey, Noct? You got a minute?"

"Well, you're here now," Noctis pointed out, sitting up in his bed to take in the blond standing in his doorway.

"I could leave?" Prompto pointed to the door with his free hand, the other cradling the camera he cared so much for. It wasn't all that surprising to see him with it. Noctis had barely ever seen Prompto without it. Even in the midst of battle, Prompto would pull out his camera and snap some shots. He couldn't deny that the results were nothing short of art, though. Even if it did mean the others had to work on holding the beasts at bay long enough for Prompto to line up his perfect photographs.

Noctis smiled to himself, waving his hand dismissively, "What do you want, Prompto?"

A soft chuckle escaped the lithe boy as he took a few tentative steps into the room, looking down at the camera in his hands, "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to help me out in the morning. There's some photos I want to get, but I can't do it on my own."

Noctis and Prompto's blue eyes met, and Noctis didn't miss the small pout playing on his lips, clearly trying everything necessary to make him agree. Noctis sighed softly, brushing a hand gently through his dark hair, "Why me? Why not Gladio or Iggy?"

Prompto scoffed, walking aimlessly around the room as he spoke, "Iggy will just call me reckless, and Gladio won't know how to help. Besides, best friends get first dibs on adventures like this."

"Lucky me." Noctis muttered to himself, "Alright, fine."

"Awesome!" Prompto was practically bouncing on his feet as he continued moving around the room. It was nothing new, really. You were always hard pressed to keep Prompto still, especially when he was excited. That excitement just told Noctis that he'd made the right decision, even if getting up at the crack of dawn wasn't at the top of his list of things he wanted to do. Prompto made his way back to the door, smiling brightly as he moved with a skip in his step, "I'll see you first thing tomorrow, then. You won't regret it, Noct."

"Yeah, yeah."

As it turned out, Noctis regretted it.

The regret started as he was woken at the crack of dawn by a very excitable Prompto propelling himself forward and landing with a distinct lack of grace beside him on the bed. Noctis groaned his disapproval, pulling the blanket over his head in a vain attempt to block out the boy beside him. Maybe if he stayed like that, Prompto would give up and leave. Of course, that wasn't going to happen. Prompto never gave up when he had his heart set on something.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead! The sun's up, not a cloud in the sky, and we have some pictures to take!" Prompto was far too cheerful for as early as it was. It had to be a sin to be that happy first thing in the morning.

As Prompto prodded the lump of blankets with his finger, Noctis grumbled, "This is no way to treat a prince."

"Since when do you care about your title?" Prompto laughed, and suddenly Noctis felt the full weight of the boy as he lounged over him, continuing to gently prod at Noctis, "Come on, you promised."

"I didn't promise anything."

"Okay, but you gave me your word," Prompto reached out, pulling the blankets away from Noctis' face only to be met with tufts of dark hair, "You help citizens in need, don't you? I'm a citizen in need."

"You're a nuisance in need." Noctis reluctantly sat up, pushing Prompto from on top of him and brushing a hand through his hair in a feeble attempt to tame it.

"But you love me anyway," Prompto smiled sweetly, lifting his camera and stealing a photo of the dishevelled prince.

"Delete that."

"Only if you get up and help me like you said you would," As if predicting his next moves, Prompto quickly dodged Noctis as he reached for the camera, getting to his feet and taking another photo from a safer distance, "Up and at 'em, Noct!"

The regrets continued once Noctis realised what it was Prompto wanted to take photos of. At first, he didn't realise. Maybe it was his fuzzy, sleep filled mind that had him simply following his friend down the path without a thought of what it was he'd planned. It took him longer than usual to realise that the path they were walking was the one leading towards the Greyshire Glacial Grotto, the waterfall that had previously held the Sword of the Wanderer. Though it was now in his possession, Noctis remembered clearly how careful they'd been as they passed by Midgardsomr to get to the waterfall. There were certain fights that simply weren't worth waging.

And yet, there they were, heading down the path, heading towards the great snake that protected its territory so viciously. It all suddenly made sense, and Noctis stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of the snake towering over the land, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"What?" Prompto frowned as he looked back at his friend, genuine confusion etched on his face, "What's wrong?"

"You want to take photos of _that_?" Noctis pointed to the beast in the distance, eyebrows raised as he stared incredulously at his best friend.

"Well, duh. Look at it, wouldn't you want to?"

"You're gonna get us killed."

"No sweat, I have a plan. It's really simple. You go over there and keep it busy," Prompto walked his fingers along his arm as if it would make it that much easier to explain the plan, "Then, while you have it occupied, I'll get the photo of a lifetime! Easy."

Noctis stared at Prompto for a long moment, "I take it back. You're gonna get _me_ killed."

Prompto rested his hand reassuringly against Noctis' back as he started walking again, "Not at all. You can warp. If anyone can get out of there before anything bad happens, it's you."

He couldn't really argue with that logic. Of all of them, Noctis was the one who had the best chance of running away from a creature like that. Still, he knew that this was an accident waiting to happen, and Noctis made a mental note to always get the full picture before agreeing to help Prompto with anything in the future.

Prompto settled himself in the bushes nearby, looking over at Noctis and offering him his usual bright smile, his voice much quieter now, "You do your thing. I promise to get the shot of a lifetime."

Noctis grumbled to himself, staring at the giant snake in the distance. He was trying to figure out how exactly he was supposed to go about this. How were you meant to distract a snake? In the end, he knew that he really had no choice but to move into the snake's territory. Prompto no doubt wanted some close ups, wanted to see the beast emote, or something equally artsy. That's what photographers were into, right?

Stepping closer, Noctis shouted to the snake, "Hey, lizard breath!" He paused, realising just how stupid he sounded and making a mental note to never use the insult again. Still, it seemed to be enough to catch the serpent's attention, a loud hiss filling the silence of the morning air. Almost immediately, Noctis noticed the way the snake reared back, preparing itself to pounce on him, and sure enough the beast lunged in his direction, Noctis dodging out of it's way with ease.

The snake wasn't going to give up. Noctis was encroaching on it's territory. He was a threat, and threats were not allowed to live. As the snake's tail whipped around, Noctis deftly moved backwards, just out of the snake's reach. It only seemed to be frustrating the creature as it attempted everything it knew in order to get Noctis to leave, or to kill him, whichever came first. Noctis watched as the snake circled around him, the coil becoming thinner and thinner, and he realised the snake was preparing to crush him. Materialising a sword briefly, Noctis threw the blade towards the water behind the snake, warping with it.

A moment later, the snake burrowed into the ground, completely out of sight. That wasn't what Noctis had been expecting, and it had him more than a little concerned. How was he supposed to dodge something he couldn't see? Looking around them for a moment, he noticed a large rock nearby, point warping to it and standing atop in as he waited for the snake to reappear. Time seemed to move so slowly, but eventually, the snake ploughed through the earth, resurfacing with great force and Noctis was grateful he hadn't been in the firing line.

It was just as the snake had once again caught sight of him that Prompto's voice called out, "That's it, get out of there, Noct!"

It was a welcome invitation, and Noctis was more than willing to get himself out of the range of the beast. Except, things never went quite to plan. The sound of Prompto's voice had caught the snake's attention, and suddenly there was someone else encroaching on it's territory, someone else who had to be removed as quickly as possible. Noctis had proven difficult to be rid of, but perhaps Prompto would be easier to handle.

As the beast hissed, moving in Prompto's direction, Noctis moved on instinct, throwing a sword at the snake and warping with it, attempting to hit it as hard as he could, "Prompto, move!"

The beast let out a cry, but Noctis could see he'd barely done any damage to the scales covering the creature's body. Maybe it was anger rather than pain. That really wouldn't have been all that surprising. Noctis continued to slice at the snake in an attempt to distract it from Prompto. He was sure it was working, too.

Noctis' next regret was not noticing the creature's tail winding up.

One moment he was there, the next he felt the tail whipping around and hitting him with such force, he was launched into the air and sent flying. His scream of shock and pain rang through the air and Noctis could do nothing but flail his limbs pointlessly as he soared through the air, eventually landing in a shadow edge of the lake, far from the creature he'd been previously keeping occupied. Noctis groaned as he rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky. What had he done to deserve a day like this?

Noctis closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the water quickly soaking into his clothes. At least he hadn't been killed. That had to count for something. Though, he wasn't so sure Prompto would be as lucky once he got his hands on him.

As the sound of a familiar scream in the distance quickly became louder and louder, Noctis opened his eyes just in time for the crushing weight of his best friend to land directly on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. His arm instinctively wrapped around Prompto's waist. Despite the circumstances and the desire to punch him in the face, Noctis' protective side was winning out, and he was more grateful to find his friend hadn't just been eaten by a giant snake than anything else.

Prompto rested his hand on Noctis' chest, pushing himself up enough to look at Noctis, "You okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Noctis' voice was deadpan as he looked up at his friend who appeared to have made himself quite comfortable on top of him.

"Right." Prompto nodded, a silence falling between them for a moment before Prompto was looking back into his eyes, "So, is this what it's like to be saved by a prince?"

"You wouldn't have needed saving if we just stayed sleeping, Beauty." Noctis pointed out, though he couldn't stop himself smiling. It was a ridiculous situation, one that he'd only find himself in thanks to the blond currently sitting on top of him.

Prompto laughed, and the sound was infectious. It always had been. For as long as Noctis had known him, Prompto's laugh was enough to make him happy, too. It was one of the reasons he'd been drawn to the blond in the first place. In a world of darkness, especially in times like these, having someone who could make him smile was special. Their laughter blended together, Prompto reaching out and brushing his thumb against Noctis' cheek, "You're covered in dirt."

"That's your fault." Noctis chuckled, looking up at his best friend, seeing the genuine smile on his face. There had been a lot of symbols of hope in his life, but Prompto was among the brightest. He was always happy, always smiling and joking, and trying to keep everyone else's spirits up. Prompto was Noctis' lifeline, the one who had always pushed him to have fun, and the one who always managed to help him forget about titles and responsibilities. When he was with Prompto, he was just Noctis. Not a prince, but a chosen king. Just Noctis. Sometimes that's all he wanted to be.

Prompto's hand stilled against Noctis' cheek, though he didn't move it away, their eyes locked, though what Prompto was thinking, he couldn't be sure. Prompto was always difficult to read. Sometimes he didn't mind, he enjoyed the spontaneity that came from the blond, but in that moment, Noctis really wanted to know what he was thinking. It didn't seem to matter, though. As Prompto moved closer, their lips gently pressing together, thoughts really didn't matter anymore. Noctis wasn't sure what to do at first. He hadn't expected the sudden show of affection, but Prompto's lips were soft, his touch gentle, and Noctis found himself melting into the sensation, his fingers gently moving along his friend's back, holding him close.

How long the kiss lasted, he didn't know. Not long enough. Prompto was the first to pull away, heat rising over his freckled face. He sat up on Noctis' lap, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling nervously, "I uh, I got the shots. Your sacrifice wasn't in vain. So… yeah."

"Prompto?"

"Yeah?" He looked down at Noctis, his nerves obvious.

Noctis could only smile, "I kinda need to get up before I freeze to death."

"Oh, right!" Prompto rushed to stand up, offering Prompto his hand.

Looking back on it, Noctis really didn't regret a thing.


End file.
